The next morning, I woke up early. I didn’t even bother with breakfast. Today, I had to meet the Yun family.
Yan Mei insisted on following me, but I refused. The Bai family may have already started monitoring me one way or the other, and I didn’t want her to get mixed up in all this drama.
I packed a bowl of my braised meat and went straight to the Yun Pavilion. The restaurant was big, with red pillars and golden signs. It looked richer than any place I had been to.
At the front desk, I said, "I want to meet Master Yun."
The man there frowned. "Master Yun doesn’t just see anyone."
I leaned closer and said, "Tell him Lin Xu is here. The same Lin Xu that the Bai family tried to get a recipe from yesterday."
That caught his attention. He hurried upstairs. A few minutes later, I was led to a private room.
Inside, Master Yun sat behind a table. He looked to be in his fifties, calm but sharp.
"So you are Lin Xu," he said. "Sit."
I bowed slightly and sat. "Yes."
"Why are you here? What business do you have with my Yun Pavilion?"
Boldly I said, "I came to show you something."
I opened the clay pot, and the smell of braised meat filled the room. A servant quickly placed some on a plate for him.
Master Yun took a bite. His face didn’t change much, but I saw the way his eyes lit up.
"This is good," he said slowly. "Rich and different. This is your recipe?"
"Yes," I answered. "I made it myself. But yesterday, the Bai family tried to force me to sell it. When I refused, they threatened to destroy my stall."
Just then, one of his men walked in and whispered something in his ear. Master Yun’s face turned cold.
He looked at me again. "My men checked. You’re telling the truth. The Bai family is already spreading word to stop people from buying from you."
I clenched my fists. "So they really mean it..."
He leaned back, thinking. "For years, the Bai family and I have fought for business. If they want your recipe so badly, then it must be valuable." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝗻𝗼𝘷𝗲𝗹•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
He looked at me closely. "Tell me, Lin Xu. Do you want to sell it? Or do you want something else?"
I took a breath and said firmly, "I don’t want to sell it. I want protection. If the Yun family supports me, I’ll keep making this dish, and the Bai family will never get it."
For the first time, he smiled a little. "You’re bold. Fine then. I’ll protect your business. But in return, you will supply Yun Pavilion with this braised meat. No one else."
I nodded quickly. Relief washed over me. I had just found myself a powerful benefactor.
"Someone!" He called out, and a servant came in with a small pouch.
"Here is 700 taels. Enough to supply 100 bowls of this, or do you need more?" he asked as my eyes almost burst out. So much money... no way.
"No-no-no, that amount is enough. Don’t worry, Master Yun, I’ll start supplying the braised meat tomorrow."
"Alright. After that, you can come to the reception desk and receive your payment. It was nice meeting you, Miss Lin. I hope our future is blessed."
He said as he then stood up and left, and I bowed slightly before he disappeared.
I was literally the happiest person on earth at this moment. Taking hold of the pouch, I almost jumped in joy.
Just then, Susu appeared. About time, I hadn’t seen her in a while.
[ Congratulations on your big win, Host. Susu can see you are starting to enjoy this new world ]
"Don’t sugarcoat this... There’s nothing enjoyable about this world apart from my family and friends... and the money, I guess. Everything else is just complete nonsense." I disagreed immediately.
[ Well, whatever you say, Host! I am pleased to inform you that I have officially gone through a Higher Grade update, and that comes with these following features ]
[ Weather Prediction Feature – This allows the Host to know future weather and climate conditions that may occur within a one-month range – ( Price: 50 taels ) ]
[ Special Tasks – Now the system is updated, the Host can officially receive special tasks and missions with great rewards ]
[ Unlimited Storage – Now the Host can access unlimited storage which can store just about anything without it getting spoiled or aged ]
[ And lastly.. There’s a Flash sale of 70% off at the supermarket.. You have 24 hours Host ]
[ Congratulations, Host. Susu will be more functional from now on ]
With that, she disappeared as I just sighed. That explained why she had been silent since my wedding.
I guess I could make good use of the Unlimited Storage feature. "Susu, store this!"
I waved my hands over the pouch of money and it disappeared immediately.
The pouch of silver disappeared into Susu’s storage, and I felt a little lighter knowing I didn’t have to carry it around. With a smile on my face, I walked out of the Yun Pavilion.
I couldn’t wait to tell Mo Ying the good news. We finally had a strong backer, and for once, it felt like things were turning around.
But just as I turned into the busy street, I bumped into a wooden board. It wasn’t just any board, my eyes landed on a large poster pasted on it.
It showed a man in black, his face half-covered with a mask. The painting wasn’t too detailed, but there was something... familiar. My heart skipped.
"Wanted by the Song Family. Reward, 1,000 taels," the words at the bottom read.
I froze, staring at it. Why... why did this figure feel like someone I knew?
The sharp eyes, the tall build...
I shook my head quickly, pushing the thought away. There was no way. I was just imagining things.
Still, as I walked home, that masked figure burned in my mind.